As a new wave of flu tore through Fresno, the debate over reopening turned into all-out war – with business and church interests ultimately winning out, at a steep cost to public health.
public history
By mid-December 1918, it was clear that a second wave of the flu was indeed hitting Fresno. But many people did not want to shut down again.
As students returned to school and theaters reopened, was a second wave of the deadly virus about to hit Fresno?
The pandemic wanes, the world begins to reopen — but in December 1918, was a second wave about to hit?
The people of Fresno try to figure out how to celebrate the end of the Great War — without reviving the flu epidemic.
The flu appeared to be losing its grip on the city, suggesting that Fresno’s strict social distancing measures were bearing fruit.
Masks were certainly controversial. In San Francisco, a deputy health officer had shot and severely wounded a man who refused to don one.
As Fresno moved into the fourth week of its influenza outbreak, the situation appeared increasingly dire.